State v. Sales

2011 Ohio 2505
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 25, 2011
Docket25036
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 2011 Ohio 2505 (State v. Sales) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Sales, 2011 Ohio 2505 (Ohio Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Sales, 2011-Ohio-2505.]

STATE OF OHIO ) IN THE COURT OF APPEALS )ss: NINTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COUNTY OF SUMMIT )

STATE OF OHIO C.A. No. 25036

Appellee

v. APPEAL FROM JUDGMENT ENTERED IN THE DONTE M. SALES COURT OF COMMON PLEAS COUNTY OF SUMMIT, OHIO Appellant CASE No. CR 09 01 0110

DECISION AND JOURNAL ENTRY

Dated: May 25, 2011

WHITMORE, Judge.

{¶1} Defendant-Appellant, Donte M. Sales, appeals from his convictions in the

Summit County Court of Common Pleas. This Court affirms.

I

{¶2} On the morning of January 9, 2009, Sales was involuntarily committed to Portage

Path Psychiatric Emergency Services. Akron Police Lieutenant Richard Edwards was working

security at the facility when Sales exited the secured area where he was being held to use the

restroom that was located in the lobby area. While walking through the lobby, Sales turned

around, ran at Lt. Edwards, punched him in the face, and knocked him to the ground, rendering

him unconscious. Sales lay on top of Lt. Edwards and began choking him with one hand, while

using his other hand to reach for Lt. Edwards’s firearm and yelling “I’m going to kill you mother

fu**ers.” Several workers at the facility helped restrain Sales and remove him from atop Lt.

Edwards, while others called 911 for assistance. 2

{¶3} Based on these events, Sales was indicted on the following counts: aggravated

robbery, a violation of R.C. 2911.01(B), a felony of the first degree; attempted murder, in

violation of R.C. 2903.02(A)/(B), a felony of the first degree; felonious assault, in violation of

R.C. 2903.11(A)(1), a felony of the first degree; and aggravated menacing, in violation of R.C.

2903.21, a misdemeanor of the first degree. The foregoing offenses all carried an attendant

repeat violent offender specification under R.C. 2941.149. Following a jury trial, Sales was

found guilty of aggravated robbery, attempted murder, and felonious assault and their

accompanying specifications, but was acquitted of the aggravated menacing charge. Sales was

sentenced to an aggregate term of twenty-two years in prison.

{¶4} Sales now appeals from his convictions, asserting two assignments of error for

our review. We have rearranged his assignments of error for purposes of our review.

II

Assignment of Error Number Two

“THE DEFENDANT’S CONVICTIONS ARE AGAINST THE MANIFEST WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE.”

{¶5} In his second assignment of error, Sales argues that his convictions are against the

manifest weight of the evidence. We disagree.

{¶6} When considering a manifest weight argument, this Court:

“[M]ust review the entire record, weigh the evidence and all reasonable inferences, consider the credibility of witnesses and determine whether, in resolving conflicts in the evidence, the trier of fact clearly lost its way and created such a manifest miscarriage of justice that the conviction must be reversed and a new trial ordered.” State v. Otten (1986), 33 Ohio App.3d 339, 340.

A weight of the evidence challenge indicates that a greater amount of credible evidence supports

one side of the issue than supports the other. Thompkins, 78 Ohio St.3d at 387. Further, when

reversing a conviction on the basis that the conviction was against the manifest weight of the 3

evidence, the appellate court sits as the “thirteenth juror” and disagrees with the factfinder’s

resolution of the conflicting testimony. Id. Therefore, this Court’s “discretionary power to grant

a new trial should be exercised only in the exceptional case in which the evidence weighs heavily

against the conviction.” State v. Martin (1983), 20 Ohio App.3d 172, 175; see, also, Otten, 33

Ohio App.3d at 340.

{¶7} The jury convicted Sales of aggravated robbery under R.C. 2911.01(B) which

provides, in relevant part, that:

“No person *** shall knowingly remove or attempt to remove a deadly weapon from the person of a law enforcement officer, or shall knowingly deprive or attempt to deprive a law enforcement officer of a deadly weapon, when *** [t]he law enforcement officer, at the time of the removal, attempted removal, deprivation, or attempted deprivation, is acting within the course and scope of the officer’s duties [and] [t]he offender knows or has reasonable cause to know that the law enforcement officer is a law enforcement officer.”

“A person acts knowingly, regardless of his purpose, when he is aware that his conduct will

probably cause a certain result or will probably be of a certain nature. A person has knowledge

of circumstances when he is aware that such circumstances probably exist.” R.C. 2901.22(B).

{¶8} Sales was also convicted of attempted murder under R.C. 2903.02(A)/(B), which

provides that “[n]o person shall purposely cause the death of another[,]” or “cause the death of

another as a proximate result of *** committing or attempting to commit an offense of violence

that is a felony of the first or second degree[.]” “A person acts purposely when it is his specific

intention to cause a certain result, or, when the gist of the offense is a prohibition against conduct

of a certain nature, regardless of what the offender intends to accomplish thereby, it is his

specific intention to engage in conduct of that nature.” R.C. 2901.22(A). Criminal attempt

occurs when the offender commits an act constituting a substantial step towards the commission

of an offense. State v. Woods (1976), 48 Ohio St.2d 127, paragraph one of the syllabus, 4

overruled on other grounds by State v. Downs (1977), 51 Ohio St.2d 47, 53. A “substantial step”

includes conduct that is “strongly corroborative of the actor’s criminal purpose.” Id.

{¶9} The jury also found Sales guilty of felonious assault under R.C. 2903.11(A)(1),

which makes it unlawful to “knowingly *** [c]ause serious physical harm to another[.]”

“Serious physical harm” is defined to include “[a]ny physical harm that carries a substantial risk

of death; *** that involves some temporary, substantial incapacity; [or] *** that involves acute

pain of such duration as to result in substantial suffering or that involves any degree of prolonged

or intractable pain[.]” R.C. 2901.01(A)(5)(b)-(e).

{¶10} At trial, Lt. Edwards testified that on January 9, 2009, he was working as a

security officer for Portage Path Psychiatric Emergency Services. He was wearing his Akron

Police uniform, equipped with his utility belt and firearm, while manning the security desk

located in the front lobby. The last thing Lt. Edwards recalled before being knocked

unconscious was standing at his desk reaching into a drawer to retrieve a set of keys. When he

regained consciousness, he was on the floor, and recalled Sales being underneath him. Lt.

Edwards stated he was fading in and out of consciousness and, while doing so, heard staff from

the facility calling his name. He also felt Sales squeezing his throat “trying to choke [him]” and

“tugging on [his] side” where he kept his firearm holstered in his utility belt. After the attack, Lt.

Edwards had a headache, felt “nauseous and lightheaded,” and thought he might have broken his

jaw because “[his] face was going numb” in the area where Sales struck him. Lt. Edwards went

to the emergency room at St. Thomas Hospital where he was evaluated and released, having

been diagnosed with a mild concussion after suffering a loss of consciousness. Lt. Edwards

further testified that, since the attack, he has had intermittent headaches and nausea, in addition

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2011 Ohio 2505, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-sales-ohioctapp-2011.